Former Ranger Isiah Kiner-Falefa is having ridiculous 2024 season with Blue Jays

It hasn't been a pretty season for the Texas Rangers. Even after winning a big game on Sunday night against the Baltimore Orioles, the defending World Series champions remain eight games below the .500 mark and in third place in the American League West.

Meanwhile, one of their former players is having a season to remember. Isiah Kiner-Falefa spent several years with the Rangers before joining the New York Yankees (via a trade with the Minnesota Twins after his short layover there). He signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason as the Yanks were willing to let him depart because of an underwhelming tenure.

In 257 at-bats, the 29-year-old is hitting .292 with a .758 OPS, seven home runs and 33 RBI. He's also been a good defender, logging considerable reps at second, third and short.

Former Rangers infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa having spectacular season in Toronto

Earlier in his career, Kiner-Falefa was more of a defensive player. He had a solid years at the plate in 2020 and 2021 with the Rangers, hitting .280 and .271, but he was never really able to get his OBP and SLG numbers up. This year has been an entirely different story, as he's filled in admirably for the departed Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio.

Unfortunately, his hot start to 2024 has been halted by a sprained knee, which saw him land on the injured list this week. But that won't stop the trade deadline chatter.

The most interesting thing about Kiner-Falefa is that he is a super utility player and can play almost anywhere on the field. This makes him very valuable to the Blue Jays, and with Toronto slipping in the standings just like the Rangers, he could be an interesting trade piece for a team that is likely going to sell at the deadline.

But it's certainly something to see just how far IKF has come since his days with the Rangers. He obviously showed promise in Texas, and even had a career-high in home runs with the team back in 2021, so there were flashes of what he could turn into. But he just wasn't able to put it all together.

He's one homer away from tying that career-high from 2021 as he comes into his own in 2024, so we can expect other career-bests to be matched or exceeded assuming he gets over his current injury.